Henry Hank wrote:Honestly the Pens should sweep. The Isles aren't good. They are one of two playoff teams that doesn't have a positive goal differential. They have the worst goals against of any playoff team, going against the highest scoring team in hockey. Worst five on five differential of any playoff team. Penalty kill isn't good going against the second best unit in the league. Below average faceoff team. Also not a lot of playoff experience on that team. This is not a good match-up for them as the Pens' strengths play right into their weaknesses.

Upsets happen but this shouldn't be close. What happened 20 years ago is irrelevant. I've been heavily critical of this team but I expect them to be much more focused this year.

This last sentence ^

On a tangent, when I was watching "the shirts off our backs" after the last game I kept thinking" he wasn't here last year and he wasn't here last year and ... "You get the point. Previously I didn't stop to think about it. This team is so different from the one last year. Stronger physically and mentally IMO.

I know people here discount 1975, but as someone who experienced it I can tell you it was just as heartbreaking as 1993. The 1975 Pens of course weren't as good as the 1993 Pens, but they were the best team the franchise had up until that point and having basically an expansion team steal a series away like that was just crushing. To feel the series slipping away after a 3-0 lead and to lose the last game 1-0 at home -- how depressing.

I remember both Game 7s vividly. I remember driving aimlessly around the Bronx after the 1975 game and sitting crumpled up in a dark corner of my house after the 1993 game. I'm not picking one over the other; they were both catastrophes.

Does anyone recall that after the Islanders came from 3-0 down to beat the Pens in 1975 they nearly did it again to the Flyers in the next round?

I don't remember 75. Was 8. Started becoming aware of hockey that fall, I think.

82 was painful, and became more so in retrospect when the team collapsed so utterly, so absolutely, over the next two years that it took them five more years after drafting Mario Lemieux just to make the playoffs again (when 16 out of 21 teams made it). I was at Game 3; the only Pens playoff game I ever attended. I remember how the Pens strategy of holding the Isles rush up at the Pens blue line or in the neutral zone kept the game close. They might have been the forerunners of the NZT.

93 - well what else needs to be said about it. I couldn't really mourn it properly, since I was at a Rasta Rafiki show at Thirsty's and determined to have a good time regardless. It just really started to hit me the next day.

I worry about how effective will be Crosby and Malkin. The former will not be full strength, the latter cannot shoot due to ongoing shoulder problems. Remember when Jagr tried to play in 2001 against the Debs? Not much good he did then. Hopefully Malkin's 3 pt night against Carolina indicates that he's ready to dominate, but then, that goalie sucked.

And there's the rub. Goaltending is probably 50% of hockey, maybe more. Fleury has had a fine season and his stats are similar to Vokoun's, but Vokoun's stats include a horrible 3 game stretch that's long behind him. More recently, Vokoun has been much better than Fleury, both statistically and by the eye test. He's better at rebound control, better at positioning, better with the glove hand, better seeing the puck (through a screen), and better handling the puck. The only thing Fleury has over Vokoun is Fleury's quicker, especially side to side. Fleury makes spectacular saves, Vokoun makes them look easy. Of course, it's going to be Fleury for Game 1; he's the No. 1 goalie and it would take more to change that than what's happened so far. But I wouldn't hesitate to go to Vokoun for Game 2 if Fleury has a bad game 1, or if they fall behind 2-0.

thehockeyguru wrote:I'm interested in seeing what 4th line HCDB goes with. To play a guy like Glass over Bennett and even Kennedy would be a mistake.

I'd agree with that, only because the Isles give up a ton of goals, and having BB or TK in there at least gives the option of another RH shot who can score. BB has played with surprising grit, and TK does lift his game in the playoffs.

**The Isles are a team that will really struggle to defend 4 good scoring lines. Their bottom pairings just don't match up well against a Morrow/Sutter/Cooke or a BB/Jokinen/Adams combo. Putting Glass out there, who has not been good on the PK and provides no offense would seem to play into their hands. If Bylsma rolls 4 lines the Pens will roll over the Isles.

mariojr wrote:I don't remember 75. Was 8. Started becoming aware of hockey that fall, I think.

82 was painful, and became more so in retrospect when the team collapsed so utterly, so absolutely, over the next two years that it took them five more years after drafting Mario Lemieux just to make the playoffs again (when 16 out of 21 teams made it). I was at Game 3; the only Pens playoff game I ever attended. I remember how the Pens strategy of holding the Isles rush up at the Pens blue line or in the neutral zone kept the game close. They might have been the forerunners of the NZT.

93 - well what else needs to be said about it. I couldn't really mourn it properly, since I was at a Rasta Rafiki show at Thirsty's and determined to have a good time regardless. It just really started to hit me the next day.

I worry about how effective will be Crosby and Malkin. The former will not be full strength, the latter cannot shoot due to ongoing shoulder problems. Remember when Jagr tried to play in 2001 against the Debs? Not much good he did then. Hopefully Malkin's 3 pt night against Carolina indicates that he's ready to dominate, but then, that goalie sucked.

And there's the rub. Goaltending is probably 50% of hockey, maybe more. Fleury has had a fine season and his stats are similar to Vokoun's, but Vokoun's stats include a horrible 3 game stretch that's long behind him. More recently, Vokoun has been much better than Fleury, both statistically and by the eye test. He's better at rebound control, better at positioning, better with the glove hand, better seeing the puck (through a screen), and better handling the puck. The only thing Fleury has over Vokoun is Fleury's quicker, especially side to side. Fleury makes spectacular saves, Vokoun makes them look easy. Of course, it's going to be Fleury for Game 1; he's the No. 1 goalie and it would take more to change that than what's happened so far. But I wouldn't hesitate to go to Vokoun for Game 2 if Fleury has a bad game 1, or if they fall behind 2-0.

thehockeyguru wrote:I'm interested in seeing what 4th line HCDB goes with. To play a guy like Glass over Bennett and even Kennedy would be a mistake.

I'd agree with that, only because the Isles give up a ton of goals, and having BB or TK in there at least gives the option of another RH shot who can score. BB has played with surprising grit, and TK does lift his game in the playoffs.

**The Isles are a team that will really struggle to defend 4 good scoring lines. Their bottom pairings just don't match up well against a Morrow/Sutter/Cooke or a BB/Jokinen/Adams combo. Putting Glass out there, who has not been good on the PK and provides no offense would seem to play into their hands. If Bylsma rolls 4 lines the Pens will roll over the Isles.

I bet it will vary based on the game situation. If the pens are down, move Jokinen up and move Cooke down. If the pens have a nice lead in the third...give us all the Cooke we can get on that third line.

I bet it will vary based on the game situation. If the pens are down, move Jokinen up and move Cooke down. If the pens have a nice lead in the third...give us all the Cooke we can get on that third line.

Depends on which Cooke. I dont want to see any fly-bys. He needs to forget about the talking heads in the media, finish his checks, and play his game.